The State government on Monday issued a G.O. exempting ‘Power-for-All’ (PfA) works under the World Bank (WB) project from reverse tendering and judicial preview, directing that the tender process should be followed as per the World Bank’s procurement guidelines.
According to the G.O. (MS No.26) issued by Energy Secretary N. Srikant, the exemption has been granted as the WB has not accepted the procedures introduced by the G.O. Ms.No.69 through which AP Infrastructure (Transparency through Judicial Preview) Act, 2019 has been enacted, subjecting all infrastructure projects including Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects requiring an investment of over ₹100 crore to judicial preview to ensure transparency and to secure competition and equal opportunities.
Another reason is that the Ministry of Finance (MoF), in its communication dated April 3, 2020, said that the loan agreements were with international agencies and the State laws should be exempted from the implementation of such projects, and because the loan agreement was signed prior to the issuance of the G.O. No. 69.
The CMDs of the AP-Transco and the APEPDCL, the APCPDCL and the SPDCL have been mandated to complete the procurement process as agreed and ensure that the project is completed as per schedule in fulfilment of the assurance given to the Directorate of Economic Affairs of MoF.
